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Iyami
Iyami (イヤミ, initially seen in kanji as 井矢見), created by Fujio Akatsuka and Kenichiro Takai, is a recurring character that debuted in Osomatsu-kun and exists through various titles as part of Akatsuka's Star System. Initially starting as a guest antagonist for the sextuplets, he would soon gain fame and become a more major character to the point of being considered the protagonist of Osomatsu-kun; particularly in the 1988 anime adaptation. His name is a pun on the word 嫌味 (iyami), meaning terms such as “disagreeable”, "unpleasant", and fitting his character's nature. Overview Iyami is a sly, ill-natured man who often insists that he lived in France or "just came back" from there. However, there is always plenty evidence to indicate he has never actually even been to the country, simply using a shallow veil of Francophilia; though he can at times use bits of French in his speech such as "Bonjour!". He often refers to himself with "Me" in place of any Japanese pronouns, and ends his sentences with "zansu". These are bits inspired by the vaudevillian performer Tony Tani, who partly influenced the design of the character. He is often set in the role of a conman or random businessman whenever he appears in a work, or may simply pop in as a guest or be seen in the background or crowd shot. He is usually depicted as being in his 30s, to where the second Osomatsu-kun sonosheet gives an age of "36 1/2". There are other times where he will be a colleague of Matsuzo, to where it could be assumed he is in his 40s for the given story. However, the 1988 guide by Kodansha titled ''The Laughter Land of Osomatsu-kun-zansu ''(おそ松くんの爆笑ワールドざんす) presents a setting claim that Iyami's true age is unknown but that he claims to be 23 years old. Akatsuka's involvement in the writing of this book is debatable, plus the general lack of continuity and Iyami's way of lying would make the point moot anyway. This book also states that Iyami had actually been to France, which is at conflict with his usual settings in the series. Physical Appearance Iyami is often depicted early on with tall and slender proportions, and frequently can be seen dressed in a suit and red bow-tie. His three large teeth are a most noticeable characteristic, along with his thin mustache, bobbed hair, and narrowed eyes; at times these eyes can be seen depicted simply as dots, or he may have them closed and squinted. His hair can sometimes be stylistically ruffled or stick out when angered or shocked, but other times this longer shaggier style may also be the default in a given artistic depiction. Iyami's suit is often shown to be colored in purple or pink, especially in more modern depictions, although earlier color appearances could also have this suit as a deep blue or red. It often has a pattern on it resembling the number ten/十. He can be seen wearing either boots or fancy loafers with shoelaces with such suits, and may accessorize with a short straw hat and a cane. These clothes may sometimes also be tattered or torn to highlight a poverty setting, but his socks are almost always patched-up or incredibly loose in some way. In regards to specific features of his body, Iyami can also be seen depicted with a large "outie" navel and his chest hair is simply depicted as a long horizontal swirled shape. When seen in later manga appearances and in the latter portion of the 1988 Osomatsu-kun anime, Iyami is often depicted shorter and with wider limbs, a rounder/sloped face, and a smaller mustache. His hair is also more often drawn in the shaggier way. Personality Iyami is frequently childish, self-centered, and grandiose, but carrying a conman's charm that enables him to pull off some of his schemes rather successfully until he is caught. He has little shame if at all, and will proudly steal, lie, and cheat as his means to make money or get attention, so he can eat, or simply go to France. However, in other instances, Iyami can be seen as an honest worker of various respectable professions (or still keep a shady nature). He is cowardly and will often not take accountability, instead preferring to shamelessly shift the blame to other people for his misdeeds. He will also openly insult others and play pranks; this in one story is shown to be the result of his "Iyami germs" being active and they will instill the same behavior in others who ingest them (such as Dekapan). His ways of annoying people simply with his obnoxious presence and behaviors can cause much aggravation and chaos, as the Matsuno family had experienced as well as another family who had taken him in when he was injured. On the other hand, Iyami can also be openly shown to be genuinely good-hearted and looking out for others, such as his kindness towards Chibita when helping him out with taking care of a baby. The two also attempted to take care of a lost little girl on another occasion. Thus, he may either be a trickster mentor figure to children but otherwise harmless, or he may be an active force of trouble who antagonizes them; in one case even attempting to kill Osomatsu so that he could extend his own life. Around women, he may become a hopeless romantic either genuinely appreciative or longing for them, or he will be a shameless sexual harasser keen on feeling them up or getting a look up a skirt. Speech Iyami often laughs with an "Uhyohyo!", and as mentioned before, comes to end his sentences with "zansu". He will at times insert gratuitous French or English into his speech, be it a "Bonjour!" or other small words. While referring to himself with "Me", he will often refer to others as "chimi" or "chimi-tachi". When startled, he will cry out a "Sheeh!" (alt: "Shee", "Sheh", "Chier", etc.) and strike his famous pose. Relationships with Other Characters Iyami is often at adds with the rest of the cast, presented as an antagonistic type who is either a general nuisance or active criminal and scammer to them. However, he comes to be closely associated with Chibita in many stories, whether appreciating the young boy as his sidekick or in also pushing him around. Chibita Iyami tends to be sympathetic to his plight, and will gladly assist him in revenge on the sextuplets if he is being bothered by them. With Chibita often lacking a family or just being a free-roaming child, Iyami can serve as somewhat of an older mentor for him to tag along with. There is also an occasion where Chibita is the one to help Iyami get ready for the day, as the man lives alone and has trouble cooking and cleaning for himself. But there are also settings where the two will be rivals or enemies, or where Iyami will manipulate and mistreat the young boy- leading to him being the target of the well-earned revenge. Sometimes Chibita will also be depicted as an adult and also the dominating part of the dynamic; one chapter shows him to be Iyami's cruel landlord who will steal the very clothes off of his back for not having rent. The Sextuplets The frequent targets of Iyami's scams and pranks, or ones that will instigate his ire by bothering and pranking him to start with. When he is not teamed up with Chibita against the six, he may use them as his own minions against the young boy to bother or prank (or actually attempt to help him out, if in misguided and unsuccessful ways). Eventually, although the title is still "Osomatsu-kun", he displaces the sextuplets when it comes to roles in stories, with them often seeming to be more like his own supporting characters or even barely showing up. This is especially true for the Shonen King run, where Iyami is the true protagonist and the sextuplets only show up to react to him in some of his bizarre situations. Individually out of the six, he is at odds most with Osomatsu, as the boy is the oldest and leader and speaks for the group. Besides his attempt at killing Osomatsu, he has also saved the boy's life but with the added purpose of controlling and manipulating his family into letting him do as he pleases. There are times when he is shown to specifically antagonize Karamatsu as well, one notable moment being when he forces the boy to drink the pepper beer the sextuplets had intended to serve as a prank, and then rolls him up in a futon. The fairy tale brainwashing chapter in the Comic BomBom run also has Iyami believe that Karamatsu (brainwashed to believe himself to be The Grateful Crane) is truly a bird, shoot him, and attempt to roast him over a fire. In the end, after the brainwashing wears off on the town, Iyami is shown beat-up. Another notable BomBom run moment has him attempt to manipulate Jyushimatsu into leaving Earth, when the sextuplets declare parts of the house as their own territory and charge Iyami entrance fees. Iyami discovers the depressed boy living under the crawlspace of the Matsuno home and offers to hear out his problems, presenting himself as a supportive figure. After listening to Jyushimatsu admit that he's become sick of the world and not standing out among the group, he gives him an inspiring motivational speech about how he can do anything and even "fly in the sky". Jyushimatsu, cheered up by these words, literally performs such an action and Iyami is left laughing, only to be punished by the comic editor Ishida and his boulders. In the 1988 anime and Osomatsu-san, he often cannot distinguish the sextuplets due to their similar appearances and gets Osomatsu and Todomatsu mixed up. Totoko Iyami's interactions with Totoko are very limited in the original run of the manga. She is once seen as a captive princess that he and other oni have abducted in "Musical Momotaro", and as part of his dancing harem of girls in "The Seat of Shigetaro Iyami". He and Chibita also take part in abducting her in "The Morning Game of Dekapan Castle", leading the sextuplets to have to come to her rescue. Most famously, the largest interaction with the two can probably be seen to be Totoko playing the role of Okiku in "Iyami Alone in the Wind", where Iyami becomes inspired by her honesty and unfortunate situation and decides to work honestly to help raise money for her to regain her sight. She is presented as somewhat of a surrogate daughter figure, who is thankful to Iyami but is left wondering what happened to him years later. By the time of the BomBom run, "Spark! Totoko!" revolves around him and Chibita deciding to get Dekapan to transform them into copies of her, after he sees that the boys spend too much time around her, and manipulates them in her form by flashing an upskirt and acting lewdly towards them. The real Totoko is angered by this display, and physically punishes both him and Chibita for it. A 4koma strip in the simultaneous TV Magazine run ("Iyami Caught a Cold") depicts Iyami being taken care of by Totoko while he is sick, only for him to become inwardly lecherous and turned on by the young girl until he winds up dying from overheating. Similarly, the final comic of the BomBom run ("Caution, a One-Second Fart is Forever") has Iyami attempt to court Totoko and take her out on a date until he winds up farting in front of her; this earns the wrath of the jealous sextuplets, who get revenge on him by spreading news of the bodily function all over town. The 1988 anime will at times depict Iyami behaving inappropriately towards Totoko in a great infatuation he has for her, at times arranging for a date or being appreciative of seeing up her skirt. He likes to flatter Totoko and pay special attention to her to earn her favor, and in one such occasion she goes along with the idea of being his "wife" as it would mean she would get money from his lottery ticket. In some occasions where the two interact, Totoko may be an adult and aged up for a specific role, like being a business partner of Iyami, but the others would have her remain a child or otherwise underage. Matsuzo Matsuno Different stories in Iyami's early appearances, as immediate as his formal debut, would show him to be an associate of the sextuplets' father; either a work colleague, a boss, or a neighbor that he knows. Iyami would bring trouble to the family this way in either annoying them, intentionally messing up their sons' haircuts, or damaging property and scamming. On one occasion, Matsuzo believed Iyami to have stolen his missing work bonus, and relentlessly pursued him and his wife until it could be proven that Iyami had received his own bonus as well. Another parallel incident, however, did involve Iyami stealing Matsuzo's bonus and he ordered his sons to go retrieve it. Dekapan Dekapan may often be presented as a more altruistic figure in comparison to Iyami, being scammed by the man or having to be consulted by him for an experiment. But he can also be presented as a more villainous or manipulative figure, if the story requires Iyami to be more heroic or sympathetic as a protagonist and still require Dekapan to be his foil. The story of "Dr. Dekapan and Mr. Hyde" is most evident of their differences in the original Shonen Sunday run, where Iyami becomes threatened by Dekapan's genuine doctor service and kindness and seeks to sabotage it by impersonation. "Revenge on the Sextuplets' Family" also has Iyami suddenly have a change of heart in his plans to spend the money he stole from the Matsunos (depicted as cruel rich people) when he sees that Dekapan lives in a run-down home and acts as a father figure to many needy and unfortunate children. Dayōn Dayōn is initially most often seen in stories as a neutral figure or bystander of some occupation, though he can wind up at the receiving end of Iyami's scams and pranking as well. There are occasions where he will be a heroic figure and where Iyami will be his nemesis ("The Confrontation of Iyami vs. Dayōn in the Wild West", "Sheriff Chibita was a Brave Man""), but there will also be a setting where he will be the threat to Iyami or the rest of the cast; usually as a wanted criminal that will cause chaos in the plot ("A Beat-Up Car Full of Crisis", "The Top Pilot and the Hijacking"). The Shonen King run has Dayōn appear in various stories, as an unwilling accomplice or bystander to Iyami, when he is not depicted as an enemy to him (the aforementioned plane hijacker, or a debt collector) or an authority of some sort. The scenarios in this run may end in Dayōn's death, him becoming mutilated, or him in love with Iyami or left shocked at the other man's bizarre behavior. Hatabō Hatabō is sometimes used as an occasional accomplice of Iyami if Chibita is involved, or may be a child that he makes trouble for. In "The Killer Omega Joe", Hatabō's aim is to assassinate Iyami, who is depicted as a mob boss in the story. In the 1988 anime, Iyami takes the place of the nameless criminal who threatened Hatabō in "Hatabō, Take Courage", who bullies the boy into silence as well as making him take the fall for his crimes. In the end, similar to the original criminal, Iyami becomes amazed by Hatabō's newfound courage in the face of probable death and danger and is inspired to give himself up to the police and confess. Family Members and Lookalikes See also Family Members of Iyami, Lookalikes of Iyami for more in-depth details There will be some instances where Iyami will be shown with a spouse, or with immediate relatives such as a daughter or mother. Although these are never permanent settings, they are still interesting to note for the variety of living situations for this man. Daughter See also: Iyami's Daughter This nameless daughter can be seen in the chapter "Don't Put Skis On Just Hatabō", although an earlier and similar (if not same) character appeared in Akko-chan prior to it, in one of Iyami's assorted cameos in the title. In her -kun appearance, the daughter becomes instantly friendly with Hatabō and the two get along very well while learning to ski, while she coldly rebuffs any attempts Chibita makes to be friends with her. In the end, the sextuplets and Chibita believe that they would have had a better time if they hadn't invited the other boy. Wife A wife for Iyami is initially shown in the chapter where Matsuzo loses his bonus, though she is not utilized in any of the anime adaptations (with Chibita living with Iyami in the 1966 anime, while Iyami lives all on his own in the 1988 plot). A much different wife design is then shown towards the end of the "swapped minds" story, where she asks her husband (in actuality Osomatsu) if he'd like any beer. Yet another Iyami-wife can be seen in a town map in extra in Weekly Shonen Sunday. Mother Iyami's mother is once shown in a small, extra Weekly Shonen Sunday feature detailing a possible origin story for Iyami. She is shown to have been exasperated by his chaotic urinating and naughtiness from birth. Another mother design once appears in the series itself in the Wild West showdown between Iyami and Dayon, when flashbacks show them as children with their mothers. Older Brother Iyami's terrible older brother is once shown in a TV Magazine chapter, where he comes to town only to make trouble and get Iyami blamed for it. Even so, Iyami is willing to take the blame for his brother breaking a window, but winds up arrested and sentenced to the death penalty over that. This brother has a five-tooth overbite and a different type of nose, but can still be mistaken for Iyami as it is. "The German Iyami" A man who only vaguely resembles Iyami, having only two buckteeth and being a much shorter, squatter figure. He prides himself in his unpleasantness being patterned after Germany (rather than France), and plays pranks on townspeople. Iyami, attempting to stay out of trouble, winds up framing him for one of his own pranks, but realizes that he didn't keep his vow to not do anything bad. History Osomatsu-kun (manga) A rougher, prototypical Iyami could be first spotted as a background character in "The Biggest Fight on Paper". By the following chapter, "Blame it On Osomatsu", he was cast as a nameless doctor who didn't yet have any of his usual quirks and also had a different style of mustache. But four chapters and weeks later, he would be given the name of "Iyami" and set as an obnoxious work acquaintance of Matsuzo. His appearances through the rest of 1963 were sporadic, and the unusual detail of his name being written with three kanji characters could also be witnessed (instead of the better-known katakana notation). He was generally depicted as a continued nuisance to the family, in either being a worker they knew or a neighbor. In the last chapter of the year, he fell under suspicion for stealing Matsuzo's bonus, though it was revealed that Matsuzo had simply dropped it. Through the following year of publication, Iyami's various roles and schemes would continue, with him now more of a con-man than a plain nuisance and trying to scam the sextuplets. Alternatively, he would also be depicted as a more serious schoolteacher type of character, flustered by spirited types such as Chibita or left confused when the Matsuno parents had swapped bodies. The body-swapping incident would also culminate in him and Osomatsu temporarily swapping for a time, leaving the Matsunos confused at their son constantly "sheeh"ing while Iyami's wife would wonder why her husband would be refusing to drink beer. During this period of the series, he would also become closely linked with Chibita in their get-rich schemes. This pattern of Chibita teaming up as Iyami's sidekick or Iyami assisting Chibita in revenge would continue through 1965, with their various schemes either being successful or backfiring terribly. In "Returned to the New School Term from France", it would be revealed that Iyami (set in the role of a teacher) had crafted a false image of himself as an expert on France, as a student named Niyake had actually visited the country and would call him on his lies. This resulted in Iyami quitting his job at the end of the story. Another notable story in the year had Iyami attempt to bring a bride to the Matsuno home in a scam to get her to believe he had a decent life, only for that to backfire as well; the woman wound up taken by his honesty, but in the end ditched him for an even-shabbier homeless man. Iyami continued to be a major character in the ensuing years, either being the main antagonist for the Matsunos or him outright taking the lead roles in stories with Chibita. Stories like "Dr. Dekapan and Mr. Hyde" and "The Shinigami Salesman" showed him willing to pull relentlessly unreasonable acts to soil the image of another, or to try to kill Osomatsu in order to extend his own lifespan. However, the full-length 1967 story "Iyami Alone in the Wind" (based off Chaplin's film "City Lights") would depict him in a more sympathetic light, with him as an Edo-era man who vows to work honestly in order to restore the sight of a young girl named Okiku. The 1972 relaunch of Osomatsu-kun in Shonen Gahosha's Weekly Shonen King switched up the formula considerably in having Iyami now be the actual lead, to where the -kun title seemed like a misnomer; some frontispieces would poke fun at this and have Osomatsu depicted arguing with Iyami over it. In this new run, Iyami would often wind up in some sort of misfortune as payback for his ways of scamming and annoying others. Iyami's crudeness would be more emphasized compared to the Shonen Sunday run, along with the idea of him being hopeless in love and it compounded by him being openly sexually harassing or winding up in undesired love entanglements. However, there would be instances where he would also come off successful in a relationship, by stealing and charming a woman from another man. Many of his love affairs would often end in a punchline of having children, even if the wife was of another species (such as a crocodile or gorilla), and some occasions would have him fall in love with a man. This run would also have Iyami wind up in various body horror situations due to his bad luck and karma, such as his teeth either dramatically growing from him drinking Dekapan's tooth drug or him growing large breasts from taking the wrong medicine for a fever. His cruelty towards animals would be showcased, with him callously feeding a cat to some sentient Earth or desperately devouring a cat out of not wanting to starve while hiding from a debt collector. The third and final run in the late 1980s in Comic BomBom and TV Magazine would have him back to being a typical scammer towards the sextuplets, though in one case he would bulldoze over Shinjuku and try to establish his own "Deppa Kingdom" fit only for those with overbites. On another occasion, when alien feces fell to Earth and were revealed to give people superpowers if consumed, Iyami would exploit the situation by leaving his own piles of feces around and tricking others into eating them. Appearances in Animation Osomatsu-kun (1966) Furious Ataro (1969) Osomatsu-kun (1988) Furious Ataro (1990) Due to the Osomatsu-kun characters' rights being held by Studio Pierrot while this anime was being produced by Toei, an intended cameo of Iyami was excised from an episode. However, the character that does appear is a suspiciously similar man with the exact same speech pattern. Rerere's Genius Bakabon Iyami appears several times in Rerere's Genius Bakabon with his first appearance being in episode 1A where he was in a sushi restaurant along side Chibita. Rather than Kaneta Kimotsuki reprising his role, Iyami is voiced by Kenichi Ogata in such cameos. Osomatsu-san For additional detailed information, see the Osomatsu-san wiki Portrayals Voice Acting *Osomatsu-kun (1966)- Kyoji Kobayashi *Furious Ataro (1969)- Yonehiko Kitagawa, Keiichi Noda, Ichiro Nagai *Hitachi Television City: Nyarome's Fun Mathematics Classroom- Ichiro Nagai *Osomatsu-kun (1988), CR Osomatsu-kun, Pachislot Osomatsu-kun games- Kaneta Kimotsuki *Rerere's Genius Bakabon- Kenichi Ogata *Osomatsu-san- Kenichi Suzumura Live Action In 1985, George Tokoro would be the first actor to portray Iyami in live format in the Fuji TV Monday Dramaland special of Osomatsu-kun. Recent years have also seen the actor Mitsuru Murata depict Iyami in the stage show Osomatsu-san: SIX MEN'S SHOW TIME. Inspiration and Development Besides the performer Tony Tani being inspiring to Akatsuka in terms of his speech and mannerisms, it is also claimed that his Shonen Sunday editor at the time Kabashima was also an influence as far as the character's appearance went. Kenichiro Takai, who had since become the art chief for Akatsuka, was tasked with designing Iyami. As mentioned above, the character's more iconic personality and poses took some time to develop; the "Sheeh!" pose was eventually decided within an idea meeting with the staff, when a person's sock suddenly sprung out due to the loose elastic while doing so. Akatsuka decided "This is great!" and the staff went around testing the pose to see if it could make others laugh. Cultural Impact See also: Sheeh! Iyami's Sheeh! would become a memetic and often-imitated pose of the 1960s and beyond, appearing referenced in anything such as kaiju films to well-known celebrities striking it for photo-ops. His own character design and speech have also occasionally been used as reference for characters in anime and manga, with them sporting similar buckteeth and a habit of "zansu" and making such a pose. Foreign Names Note: Full names in other Southeast Asian dubs are listed in the Eastern standard order. Iyami appears with these names in dubbing and translations of the franchise outside of Japan. The Korean renaming, much like many other cases, only applies to the dub of Osomatsu-kun retitled "The Yuk Family's Sextuplets" that aired on Cartoon Network Korea in 2012. His name is retained in the dub of -san that was broadcast on AniBox in 2016. Gallery Trivia References External Links *Iyami profile @ Koredeiinoda website (Japanese) *Iyami profile @ Fujio Pro (Japanese) Category:Osomatsu-kun Category:Characters and Mascots